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Skype 1.0 for Windows Phone

After two months in beta, Skype has released the first shipping version of its eponymous communications app for Windows Phone. Skype 1.0 doesn’t really add much to what we saw in the beta, but this milestone removes one notable blocker to Windows Phone adoption and sets the stage for deeper integration in Windows Phone 8.

Skype 1.0 works with 3G, 4G/LTE, and Wi-Fi connections, allowing voice over IP (VoIP) voice and video calls as well as text chat (instant messaging). New features since the beta include the ability to add new contacts from within the app, land line calling functionality, and contacts search.

The biggest issue with this app in its current form, of course, is that it doesn’t run in the background. That means you can’t receive calls or messages from others if you’re doing something else with the phone. And no, that’s not because of some limitation of Windows Phone OS, despite Skype’s complaining to the contrary. The Tango app can do this just fine.

Skype requires 512 MB of RAM, which is interesting given the recent release of the Windows Phone 7.5 Refresh (codenamed Tango), which specifies a new low-end standard of just 256 MB of RAM for entry level devices.